79 replies to this topic

[Eglar]

First off, this is not a "clans are OP" nor a "meta is bad" thread. When the clans came out and I built my first timberwolf I was like "ewww". Of course, it was a ERPPC/Gauss Build. At the same time the timberwolf is embodies a very superior state of tankiness, versatility, agility and speed, in short - it's simply much better than any other heavy mech - regardless IS or Clans.



at the same time, the closest resemblance to an timberwolf should be something like this:



My suggestion is that the timberwolf should still retain it's ears even when running without Missiles.

This has 2 reasons;
The first one is a aesthetic one - without ears the timberwolf looks "odd" at best.
The second one also affects gameplay. With ears attached, it makes the side torso hitbox of the timberwolf much bigger and therefore makes it easier to hit and partially balances it's "op-ness".

If you look at the catapult A1/C4 you can see exactly the same thing happening. One might say that: "it's because the catapult has the Missile Racks in/as its arms not in the side-torso" - Well, with Clan-XLs losing one ST doesn't kill you, in addition the CPT has much bigger Missile Racks compared to the TImberwolf.

A second example is the Stormcrow, which also has a huge hunch over each ST, and if you add missiles, you will see those racks in the hunch. Removing those missiles however will still keep the hunch, hence the stormcrow is actually really easy to hit, when it's trying to poke over a ridge.

Thank you for your considerations, PGI.

Edited by Eglar, 08 July 2014 - 11:29 AM.

[Joseph Mallan]

Eglar, on 08 July 2014 - 11:25 AM, said:

First off, this is not a "clans are OP" nor a "meta is bad" thread. When the clans came out and I built my first timberwolf I was like "ewww". Of course, it was a ERPPC/Gauss Build. At the same time the timberwolf is embodies a very balanced state tankiness, versatility, agility and speed, in short - it's simply much better than any other heavy mech - regardless IS or Clans.

My suggestion is that the timberwolf should still retain it's ears even when running without Missiles.

Your suggestion is silly. I understand the desire to have the iconic silhouette, but if you don't have the missiles on your Mech there is no reason for the pods.

[Rhaythe]

You can have a hunchback without a hunch here. It makes sense to have a Timberwolf running sans missile-pods if it has no missiles. Why would the engineers intentionally raise a target profile if they could get away without it?

[Eglar]

Joseph Mallan, on 08 July 2014 - 11:28 AM, said:

Your suggestion is silly. I understand the desire to have the iconic silhouette, but if you don't have the missiles on your Mech there is no reason for the pods.

Why do catapults have their pods even without missiles then?
or Stormcrows still have a hunch.

Edited by Eglar, 08 July 2014 - 11:33 AM.

[Mechteric]

I agree, it should retain its pods even when no missiles are mounted. But it looks good with the proper LRM sized pods not the shorter SRM ones.

[Joseph Mallan]

Eglar, on 08 July 2014 - 11:30 AM, said:

Why do catapults have their pods even without missiles then?
or Stormcrows still have a hunch.

You are asking that question to the wrong person Eg. If you are correct (and you likely are) The others should be fixed to be more like the Timber Wolf.

[Khobai]

Quote

Why do catapults have their pods even without missiles then?

Because the Catapult's missile pods are its arms. While the Timberwolf's missile pods are not its arms; theyre just weapon meshes.

The Timberwolf losing its missile pods is not the real problem. The real problem is that the Timberwolf-S side torsos are outright better than the Timberwolf Prime or C side torsos.

[Eglar]

Joseph Mallan, on 08 July 2014 - 11:38 AM, said:

You are asking that question to the wrong person Eg. If you are correct (and you likely are) The others should be fixed to be more like the Timber Wolf.

Yes, noone cares wether the thunderbolt retains it's shoulder-bazooka or not but my suggestion includes an additional reason in regards of game-balance so timberwolf would actually end up with bigger hitboxes ot compensate for their current their /opness/metaness however you want to call it. It basically would solve 2 issues for me (personally) and I felt that other Battletech fans would feel the same way.

Khobai, on 08 July 2014 - 11:39 AM, said:

The Timberwolf losing its missile pods is not the real problem. The real problem is that the Timberwolf-S side torsos are outright better than the Timberwolf Prime or C side torsos.

Well yea, it's got JJs. but I believe that's just a Cataphract 3D variant for the clans. If they didn't have the omnipod system, people would just play the TBR-S all day.

Edited by Eglar, 08 July 2014 - 11:46 AM.

[Sarsaparilla Kid]

Joseph Mallan, on 08 July 2014 - 11:28 AM, said:

Your suggestion is silly. I understand the desire to have the iconic silhouette, but if you don't have the missiles on your Mech there is no reason for the pods.

I'm betting Eglar and many others that love the TBR realize that it is due for a nerf, so he is offering as minimal of a nerf as possible to solve the TBR issue, especially when compared to a nerf on firing PPC/Gauss combos, or a nerf to the jump jet capability of the TBR. It's what I would have done...offer a dog a bone and keep the choicest cuts of meat intact. It also improves aesthetics at the same time...a win-win!

[Joseph Mallan]

Nope. Timber Wolves are not Presently OP. They are tough to beat, but that is normal for the Mech. As a BattleTech fan Timber Wolves are not tough enough.

[EyeOne]

Eglar, on 08 July 2014 - 11:30 AM, said:

Why do catapults have their pods even without missiles then?
or Stormcrows still have a hunch.

Because on the Catapult it's not a part of the torso it's the entire arm. Do any other mechs arms come off when no weapons are present? Nope.

[Joseph Mallan]

EyeOne, on 08 July 2014 - 11:48 AM, said:

Because on the Catapult it's not a part of the torso it's the entire arm. Do any other mechs arms come off when no weapons are present? Nope.

The Arms become PPCs so it still has arms... The boxy nature is kinda screwy as there are PPC toting Pult Minis that don't retain the Big Box.

[Khobai]

Quote

Because on the Catapult it's not a part of the torso it's the entire arm. Do any other mechs arms come off when no weapons are present? Nope.

There is a HUGE difference between an entire arm disappearing and a single weapon mesh disappearing.

Again the real imbalance is the TW-S and nothing else.

Quote

Nope. Timber Wolves are not Presently OP. They are tough to beat, but that is normal for the Mech. As a BattleTech fan Timber Wolves are not tough enough.

That remains to be seen. However the TW-S side torsos are way too good compared to the Prime or C side torsos. That is a fact that cannot be disputed at this point.

[BTone]

But the ears are so pretty...

[Joseph Mallan]

Khobai, on 08 July 2014 - 11:51 AM, said:

There is a HUGE difference between an entire arm disappearing and a single weapon mesh disappearing.

Again the real imbalance is the TW-S and nothing else.




That remains to be seen. However the TW-S side torsos are way too good compared to the Prime or C side torsos. That is a fact that cannot be disputed at this point.

You mean the ones with LRM pods sticking out like bullet magnets?

[LordKnightFandragon]

I just wish PPC and GR had bigger barrels, and lasers were about the size of current PPCs and GRs....they look just goofy all short and stubby like they are. On the TW it looks ok, but on the Warhawk, it just looks odd.


And yes, a Timby without the ears....yikes.

[Peenutts]

What I get out of this topic from the OP is--

I want to run my timberwolf with the cheese build of the month. I can't make anything work for me, that is more diverse but I want my timberwolf to look like the picture.

You want missle bays? Learn to craft your own builds and use them. If not, paint your mech all yellow like the cheese you load out.

Have a nice day.

[Wolfways]

Imo all customized mechs look stupid

[Thejuggla]

I agree I just hate the look of any srms/lrm 5s also when the second launcher goes near the cockpit is just brutal looking. The second launcher should fit in the "ears"

[Joseph Mallan]

Peenutts, on 08 July 2014 - 12:01 PM, said:

What I get out of this topic from the OP is--

I want to run my timberwolf with the cheese build of the month. I can't make anything work for me, that is more diverse but I want my timberwolf to look like the picture.

You want missle bays? Learn to craft your own builds and use them. If not, paint your mech all yellow like the cheese you load out.

Have a nice day.

How do you get that out of Eglar's OP? He is asking for the Timber Wolf to be easier to hit. It is not worded like you are implying. If I can disagree with the OP in a non insulting manner, you should be capable of the same.